


Outings with the Twins- Big Bang Burger

by Space_Conspiracy



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Big Bang Burger Challenge (Persona 5), Gen, Vomiting, atlus let me hold their hands dammit, sorry its minor but its there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26908405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Space_Conspiracy/pseuds/Space_Conspiracy
Summary: The Twins demand that Akira show them around Shibuya and things go about as well as you'd expect--Born from the new outing events in Royal, except Atlus are cowards that won't let me hold the Twins' hands so I figured I'd remedy that
Relationships: Kurusu Akira & Caroline, Kurusu Akira & Justine
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20





	Outings with the Twins- Big Bang Burger

6/6. Afternoon. Cloudy.

He’s barely through the door when Akira feels his phone ring in his pocket. _Odd_ , he thinks, fishing through his pocket with one hand, the other absently closing Le Blanc’s behind him. Sojiro gives his curt greeting from behind the counter as Akira looks at the phone screen in front of him. _A blocked number?_ Surely a bad sign. Akira thinks to the all the people who he knew for sure did have his number, but considers if it were any one of them, they’d probably be calling from a personal cell. The school or his probation officer would probably be calling Sojiro and not him, and besides, he doubted they’d be calling from a blocked number anyway.

The phone continued to ring, vibrating gently in his hand, as he mulled over whether or not he should take the call. Far longer than usual, the minute or more he’d spent mulling over his thoughts was usually long enough for the call to reach voicemail.

“You going to answer that?” Sojiro was giving him a meaningful look, the pencil held lightly between his fingers making a subtle pointing gesture at the only patron left in the café.

“Uh, yeah. Right.” Akira quickly began walking down the shop length towards the attic stairs, sliding his finger across the screen to answer the call.

“ _Hey Inmate!”_ He just about tripped. Caroline’s voice tore through the speaker of his phone, the high pitch of her young voice struggling to sound stern and authoritative. Akira quickly covered his phone and looked over his shoulder, Sojiro was ignoring him in favour of finishing his crossword while the final patron seemed to be making motions to leave. Morgana fidgeted in his bag; no helping if Morgana could hear, but Akira found he didn’t want to be explaining why a 12 year old was calling him “Inmate” to Sojiro. He pressed the phone back to his ear, covering the receiver with his hand.

“Yes?” He asked tentatively.

_“We need to talk to you. Get over here right now!”_

Akira grimaced. That couldn’t be good. A smoother, gentler voice came through the speaker, slightly further away, like someone standing just off the side.

“ _Caroline that is not sufficient explanation.”_ Justine’s voice moved closer. _“Inmate, come to the Velvet Room before we change our minds. We expect great haste and enthusiasm from you_.” Akira frowned. Despite her admonishment to Caroline, Justine had provided no clearer explanation either.

“Hey, what’s this-“ but the line went abruptly dead, leaving Akira staring at the blank phone in his hand.

Continuing up the stairs, he placed his bag on the table by the railing, absently undoing the zipper so Morgana could get out. The cat gave a deep, long stretch as he exited the bag.

“Who were you talking to?” Morgana asked. Akira found he didn’t quite know how to answer that. He’d tried to explain the Velvet Room and its inhabitants a few times to his friends, apparently every time he went there during a mission it just looked like he was staring off into space, but nobody had really quite believed him, Ryuji just shaking his head and shrugging, Ann asking him if he needed more sleep, and Yusuke simply telling him it was alright, sometimes he did that too. Morgana hadn’t seemed to notice his hesitation, using the pause in conversation to curl into a ball half on top of Akira’s schoolwork.

“Whoever it was, they were loud and it sounded like a summons.” Morgana’s matter of fact tone of voice did little to hide his curiosity.

“Ah, yeah. I uh…” he trailed off, uncertain. Akira had plenty of things he had wanted to do that night. He’d spent his afternoon with Ryuji exercising, running laps and doing drills in the drizzle, and wanted nothing more to go to the bathhouse and relax cold, tired muscles.

“Sojiro feeds me when you go with friends anyway,” Morgana continued. “I’ll be fine.”

The thought hadn’t crossed Akira’s mind, but he definitely didn’t want to say that.

“Yeah sure. Hold down the fort I suppose.”

“Of course!” Morgana’s meow was indignant. “I always do.”

With seemingly no choice following the brief exchange, Akira found himself mechanically going through the motions of changing out of his uniform and into something more casual before picking up his bag, giving Morgana a quick scratch behind the ears and heading out.

Akira spent the train ride over wondering what the twins could want. In general, he only went there when necessary, and even then, only when _really_ necessary. Any questions he asked were only ever met with cryptic responses, the twins seemed to enjoy whatever abuse they threw his way, Caroline with her penchant for whacking his fingers whenever he gripped the bars (he was certain she would be hitting him other places if given the chance, but the cell door had never been opened to allow her access), Justine with her preference for sly and condescending remarks, and all three of them seemed to take ill-hidden delight whenever he made the choice to send two of his Personas for execution. The execution, he had decided long ago, was by far the worst part of the Velvet Room experience.

Even still, he had to wonder what the girls wanted. He had never been asked (if that’s what you could call it anyway) to come to the Velvet Room. Either he went himself, or Igor pulled him in while he slept. He decided that whatever it was, it was probably a bad thing, the twins likely having decided he was using his Personas wrong for whatever arbitrary reason, or something more mundane like he’d left a hair behind during his last visit. His mood was sour by the time the train reached his stop, and sunk even further when he felt a few latent drops splatter onto his exposed skin. Digging his hands roughly into his pockets, Akira dropped his head and made long strides out of the station into Shibuya towards the airsoft shop and the blue prison door that made up the entrance to the Velvet Room.

\--

“You want me to- what?”

Caroline looked exasperated.

“You will escort us to places of our choosing that we deem valuable to your rehabilitation! What part of that was difficult to understand?”

Frankly, it sounded more like the twins just wanted to explore Shibuya, but now that Caroline didn’t have a set of bars separating them, Akira found he didn’t want to take the risk in expressing that to her face.

“So… where first then?” He rubbed a lock of hair between thumb and forefinger as he said this, it seemed that any plans for a hot bath were becoming even more unrealistic, but maybe if the twins were only checking up on places, there might still be time before bed.

Justine looked pleased. “The first location is…” She quickly checked her clipboard, nodding slightly to herself. “One that has grown quite popular lately. It’s purported to offer foods that simulate the feeling of being in space.”

Caroline looked excited, interrupting her sister. “The food is apparently massive enough the rival the size of the universe itself and resembles a mysterious spacecraft!”

Akira almost choked trying to hide his laughter and had to take a moment adjusting his glasses to compose himself. _Big Bang Burger?_ He found it hard to believe that the twins were certain that a fast food restaurant would help in his so-called rehabilitation, but he had also picked up by now that the two girls were definitely not as human as they appeared. Honestly, their misconceptions were almost charming.

“You’re talking about Big Bang Burger?” He pointed his thumb over a shoulder in the vague direction of the restaurant. “Its just a bit that way.”

Caroline was thoughtful for a moment. “Big Bang Burger? The name is fitting I suppose.”

“We will confirm our intel for ourselves,” Justine said primly. “Lead the way.” She flapped her hand in front of herself slightly, an invitation for Akira to take the lead.

Somewhat hesitantly, Akira walked away from the door and towards the mouth of the alley. The two girls followed a few paces behind, talking quietly but animatedly together. Taking a brief pause, he took a deep breath and stepped out onto the street. Despite the weather, the sky threatened rain with the occasional cold droplets falling onto exposed skin; the street was still very busy as people made their way to and fro. Most people were headed towards the station, likely heading home for the night from a long day’s work, but Akira could still see a number of students hanging about shop entrances in little groups talking and giggling. He checked behind again, the twins were still following but much more slowly, expressions of awe on their tiny faces as they gazed about. They were also becoming separated from him, the crowd was fierce and despite their bright blue uniforms nobody seemed to pay them any mind as they barreled down the street, eyes glazed and numb. Grimacing, he shouldered his way back over to the girls who had at this point stopped and seemed to be discussing something while Caroline pointed at something particularly bright in the distance.

“You girls alright?” Akira asked. “Crowd’s a bit rough tonight.”

“The street is certainly quite busy,” Justine said calmly.

“Hey Inmate!” Caroline’s voice was harsh and shrill. “Where is this place anyway? You said it was close.”

Akira positioned himself in such a way that the crowd would part around him and the girls and looked over. Big Bang Burger was a garish light display just slightly further down the street, but as it were, they’d barely left the alley.

“Like I said,” he jerked his thumb roughly over his shoulder. “It’s just over there.” He reached down and grabbed Justine’s hand, then Caroline’s, who shrieked in protest, tugging her hand away.

“What are you doing?” She sounded shocked and flustered all at once. Justine simply looked at it like a mildly interesting bug.

Akira gave a deep exasperated sigh.

“I’m losing you in the crowd.” Even as he said this, a distracted businessman bumped into his shoulder, so Akira quickly moved Justine out of the way so she wouldn’t get hurt. “You’re going to get stepped on and I don’t think you want that.” He held out his hand forcefully to Caroline, who placed a small, gloved hand into it after a moment’s hesitation.

“I suppose as you are escorting us, it only makes sense,” she sniffed, her tone upset. Akira softened. He supposed that behind the harsh exterior, there really was just a little girl. He crouched slightly, so he was eye level with the girls but just tall enough that people could see and continue to step around him.

“It’s just down the road a little but I don’t want you two to get separated and hurt in the crowd.” His tone was soft, apologetic. “I can’t begin to imagine what Igor might do if I brought you both back hurt,” he continued jokingly.

The girls gave each other furtive looks.

“Just take us there Inmate! We’ve wasted enough time already.” Caroline’s words had returned to their usual tone and pitch, it seemed she had returned to her usual demanding self.

Half smiling, Akira straightened and began to slowly weave through the crowd. The girls, now on either side of him, continued to stare about at the bright lights and buildings, but kept close.

\--

The entrance of the Big Bang Burger was crowded as people milled about, some waiting to be served while others waited for their food. Akira stood off to the side keeping the girls close, but no longer holding their hands. Like with many things up to this point, they gazed around with a certain sense of wonder and awe, once again whispering furtively to each other. Justine had taken out her clipboard and seemed to be making notes, but when Akira had attempted to peer at it with his superior height advantage, she had shifted it out of sight and Caroline had wacked his shin in admonishment. While he waited for the twins to reach some sort of conclusion, he alternated between people watching and perusing the menu. He was already here, might as well pick up something to eat before heading home. He absently rubbed his leg, both where he’d been hit and where he could feel an angry knot forming. So much for that hot bath.

“Inmate, what is the Big Bang Challenge? Is the intent to generate a new universe?” Justine’s question was serious, her one visible eye intent as she gazed up at him.

“I- what?” Akira rubbed a strand of hair between thumb and forefinger. _Generate a-oh…_ He gave a small laugh.

“It’s a burger eating challenge. They give you a really big burger and you have to eat it within a time limit.” He illustrated the point with his hands. He’d only just completed the first challenge recently, the tacky 2nd Mate Badge swung from his key ring, but for some reason he’d felt like he’d learnt something in doing so. The two girls went back to their furtive whispering for a moment before turning back to him and standing at attention.

“For the sake of your rehabilitation you are to take this challenge. And you will take the largest available of course.”

“Any objections Inmate?” Caroline looked gleeful, the expression akin to whenever he’d performed a particularly successful execution.

Akira had seen the largest burger the establishment had to offer, bigger in both circumference and height than anything he’d attempted to eat before. He really didn’t want to try and eat that, even _if_ he was ranked high enough.

“I-I can’t take the challenge. I, uh,” he fumbled his words, trying to find a suitable excuse.

“I did hear that the challenge used an advancement system,” mused Justine. Her expression was thoughtful but she did not continue.

“I don’t care!” Caroline stamped her foot like a petulant child. “You’re taking that challenge one way or another. Get on your knees and _beg_ if you have to.” With that she whacked Akira’s shin again, a clear indicator that the subject was not up for discussion anymore.

“Ow! Geez, ok.”

Grumbling, he approached the counter and gave the girl a sheepish smile.

“I’d like to take the challenge please. The uh,” he paused, cleared his throat. “The final one.”

The girl smiled politely and began tapping options on her screen. Akira had seen her before, he was pretty sure the girl was in every night, so he was certain that she would stop him from doing so.

“Well good news,” she began, looking up and smiling. “As our 10,000th customer, I can do that for you! Will that be all for today?”

“Uh-“

It was at these times Akira remembered how often coincidences like these seemed to happen to him.

He quickly ordered drinks for him and the twins and brought them over to a booth seat to wait for the burger. The twins seemed fascinated by the drinks and had continued their whispered conversation at the table. Akira leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs as best as he could without bumping either girl and took the time to run through a mental list of things. There was a lot on it, he began to wonder if it would be worth writing down somewhere.

“Thank you for waiting!” the young employee’s voice was bright and chirpy. The girls stopped their conversation, Justine’s face scrunched into a slight frown and Caroline’s filled equal parts horror and amazement.

The last tier of the Big Bang Challenge, called the Cosmic Tower Burger, stood forty centimetres tall and featured six patties along with the usual assortment of salad and cheese. Rumour had it that this tier had only been completed twice since its incarnation, and Akira was inclined to believe it.

“You’re really doing this?” Caroline sounded shocked. “Woow…”

“Well then,” the employee set a small timer on the table. “Its time to start the thirty minute Big Bang Challenge! Your time starts-“ she twisted the timer “-now!”

\--

Akira was pretty sure he was going to throw up. He sat slumped over, cheek resting against the cool linoleum of the table, eyes glazed and unfocused. In the end, the twins had helped him out, between them eating roughly a third of the burger, but the rest had been a torturous slog of greasy meat and wilted vegetables. He felt a burp rising and covered his mouth, praying nothing came with it.

The girls, at least, seemed satisfied with his efforts, citing “not dying” as worthwhile enough praise for his efforts. He certainly felt like he was dying.

They had continued their conversation while he lay there, and hadn’t seemed particularly interested in including him either.

“Hey, person!” Caroline’s voice ripped through the restaurant, directed at one of the employee’s as she walked by the table. Akira raised his head from the table, awkwardly settling himself back into a sitting position, his stomach roiling with each movement. Yep, definitely going to be sick, if not now, _definitely_ later.

“We will take the Big Bang Challenge.” Caroline’s voice brooked no argument and the woman seemed taken aback.

“Well, aah… there’s a minimum age requirement to take the challenge.” The woman was flustered, but it seemed her training kicked in because she added, “Could I interest you in our Lil Bang Meal? Comes with a cute little spaceship?”

Caroline looked a bit offended but Justine’s expression seemed mildly curious.

“I’ll go get that right now for you!” The woman trotted back to the counter and came back shortly with a tray bearing the meal in a box and a bin she tucked discreetly near Akira’s feet. He went to thank her but just about gagged as the smell from the kid’s meal hit him, Caroline having opened the box in the meantime. The woman gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and left the table.

In the end, the two spent a significant amount of time with the meal, first poking through the burger and fries with intense detail, then the small spaceship toy that came with it. The evening wore on, but eventually his stomach settled enough that he was able to duck over the counter and pay what was owed for the meal the girls currently picked at before heading back to his seat.

“Well it certainly wasn’t the wonders of space, but the meal was certainly passable,” Caroline declared. She was fiddling with the little toy in her hands, and Akira could see little scuffs in the cheap paint. For a time during their meal, Caroline had taken to throw the toy into the air, as if in an attempt to make it fly. None of the attempts had been a success, and the little toy had clattered to the ground each time.

“You certainly seemed to find the toy more exciting Caroline.” There was a faint smile on Justine’s face, a playful tone to her voice. Caroline flushed an angry red.

“Sh-Shut up!” She took a moment to compose herself and turned to Akira.

“You took the challenge and didn’t die, so we’ll consider this a task complete.”

Justine flipped through her clipboard and handed him two cards.

“Here is your reward.”

Akira looked at the cards briefly before tucking them into his pocket. He’d get Yusuke to make a copy of them if possible.

“Shall we…” he trailed off unsure. He certainly wanted to go home, but he also knew that the twins would probably still need help getting back to the Velvet Room.

The girls nodded in unison and scooted out from their place in the booth, waiting patiently by the door as he collected his things.

“I’m still taken aback by the truth… Your world is absolutely full of these “shop” places… For a reasonable fee, nearly every desire can be fulfilled as if it were nothing.” Justine’s voice sounded somewhat melancholic.

Akira shrugged, unsure of what to say. It was not raining, yet, but the street was still fairly busy despite the late hour. Children getting run over was less on his mind than children getting kidnapped. He stuck his hands out to the girls again, less forcefully this time. Caroline looked ready to protest, but she seemed to have remembered the crowds from earlier and judged the traffic similar enough that she took it without a word, Justine following suit.

The three carefully picked their way through the crowd and back over to the alley. The cell door, unseen to anyone but them, gave off a faint blueish light, painting the faces of the two girls with dark shadows and almost melancholic expressions. Justine turned primly back to him and gave a slight bow.

“We will call upon you when we have another task in mind. Farewell, Inmate.” Her words a dismissal, the two girls open the cell door and entered inside, disappearing from view as it slammed shut with a crash only he can hear. Somewhat uncertain, Akira stood for a moment studying the door, before stuffing his hands back into his pockets and leaving the alley, heading slowly back towards the station.

He mulled over in his head what he had seen that night, wondering if this outing might change his relationship with the two girls moving forward. Caroline certainly hadn’t lost her love of hitting him by the end of the night, of that he was certain, but he wondered if maybe she trusted him a little more. Time would only tell in the long run, he supposed, but maybe he would ask the next time he visited his prison.

\--

It was very late by the time Akira reached the door to Le Blanc, the street was dark and quiet. Fumbling with his keys, he quietly opened the door as best as he could, disturbing the bell only slightly as he ducked through and relocked it again. His stomach had begun to churn again on the train home, the rocking carriages being enough to disturb what little calm he’d been able to bring to it earlier. Stumbling slightly in the dark café area, he made his way over to the washroom, not even pausing to turn the light on as he began retching into the toilet bowl.

“You don’t sound too good.” Morgana’s voice was tinged with sympathy.

“We… are… _never_ -“ he had to pause against another wave of bile “-eating at Big Bang Burger… again.”

Morgana gave a throaty chuckle and flicked his tail against Akira’s leg, who had by this point collapsed against a wall in the tiny washroom space.

“Rough night?”

“Don’t ask me about it.” Grimacing, Akira levered himself up towards the sink and splashed his face with icy water. “So much for that bath.”

Rising unsteadily, he picked Morgana and his bag up and exited, climbing the stairs slowly to his attic space. Morgana had been right earlier, there was a little plate with dregs of tuna from his dinner that Sojiro had left for him. Morgana wriggled out of his arms and padded over to the bed, curling up on the edge, an expectant look in his big, blue eyes.

“You look pretty tired. Probably should go to bed.”

Normally when Morgana said that, he hated it. He had found it somehow very difficult to say no, even when there was so much more time left in the night for him to get one or two more things done. But tonight, Akira had to agree. Slowly going through the motions, just in case his stomach had other plans, he settled into his bed, tucking his blankets high against the draft while Morgana took his customary place on Akira’s chest, perhaps this time a little higher than usual.

“Good night Akira.”

“G’night Morgana.”

That night he dreams of a dark void and a blue butterfly and woke to the feeling of something slipping from his grasp, but cannot quite remember what.


End file.
